One of my friends and mentors is a great Christian from Germany. If you ask him, “How are you?” he answers, “I am always fine. Now if you ask me about my shoulder, that is a different matter. But I am fine.” I routinely ask people how they are, so I have heard his answer many times. Between us, I believe him. He is always fine.
The elder John wrote three letters with similar themes. The first we know best as 1 John. He addresses his second letter to the church calling her “a lady.” This third letter is a personal letter to Gaius, who likely was the pastor of one of the churches in the ancient world. John’s greeting acknowledged a powerful truth. It was well with Gaius’s soul because he was faithfully walking in the truth. How is your soul?
A survey of pastors revealed that our favorite Christian song is, It is Well. Horatio Spafford wrote this hymn after he lost his children at sea. “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.’”
Is your life more like a peaceful river or like a stormy sea? Either way, our souls are held in God’s perfect care. My shoulder may hurt. We may be facing great challenges in our families, health, or finances. In every situation, like Gaius, our souls can still be well as we faithfully walk in the Truth of Jesus. John reminds us that our bodies and lives here are temporal. But our souls, our real lives are eternal, kept in God’s care. We will be fine. Forever and always.
